National Treasure 2

First of all, they made the mistake of assuming I remembered or cared who the characters were. I haven't seen the first movie in like 5 years and it was forgettable enough that I only remembered the room of gold and Nic Cage. This movie had an elaborate set-up to explain where the people from the first movie were now, but I didn't even remember the actors faces from the first movie so I couldn't recognize them. As a result, the intro of this movie was lost on me. I didn't remember that the girl and Nic Cage got together so this whole elaborate set-up to explain their separation was confusing. I remember the premise of the franchise as being a good one, using history and our nostalgia for what the collective knowledge of U.S. history is (Paul Revere Tea Party etc.) to weave an action mystery ala Indiana Jones, where there is more to the past than meets the eye. I remember the first film starting well and being very compelling but then it went all Bruckheimer action crazy and ended in a giant room of gold. National Treasure 2 was the same, but less clever and more over the top. I cared less about the characters (although the quirky sidekick guy was occasionally genuinely funny) and their predicament or the treasure. The villain was just ridiculous even though it is played by Ed Harris, the premise behind the character was just plain dumb. I was very surprised to see Helen Mirren as Nic Cage's mom and Native American expert. She was regal and I was drawn to her in very scene, but I could not believe the dialog. Apparently she hadn't seen her husband in 32 years and they start arguing over a toothbrush? Give me a break.

It is just so hard for me to feel suspense in these ridiculous, over-the-top action movies. They are so elaborate in their stunts and special effects, but the outcome is just plain predictable and the actors aren't nearly scared enough for how imminent their death should be. They should be pissing themselves with fear and having nervous breakdowns. Not everyone is a "hero" and even "heroes" fear death. I want to see some real emotion in a superhero movie.

What I need to explore is how action movies can actually build suspense. They need to seem plausible and real so that the audience truly fears for the character along with them. I know they are meant to be fantastical and escapist, but their has to be a way to integrate real emotion and fear without it being the comic relief from the nerdy guy. More actual human psychology please, I am tired of blockbuster superhero over the top psychology. It has become so commonplace that people just make movies that way without even thinking about it. I'm not buying it and maybe even little kids aren't either. Kids are smarter than they get credit for. This is what I need to explore with my comic book webseries. Superheroes and victims with real human emotions, reactions and behaviors. People will eventually grow tired (if they haven't already) of the eye-candy, special effects driven blockbuster and they will want some real to identify with. Even movies like Transformers that try to lure the audience in with a "regular kid" Shia LaBeouf eventually have him perform superhuman task with ease and without fear.

And a picture of the leading lady because I like beautiful women who kick ass, even if the do just wind up with the guy at the end.